Pillbox, medication management system and medication dispensing system

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a pillbox comprising a plurality of pill receiving compartments detachably connected with one another in side-by-side relation to form a unitary structure, each of the compartments being constructed to store pills to be taken at a single predetermined time and have an opening which is covered by a cover and through which 5 the compartment is accessible; wherein the unitary structure is configured such that the plurality of compartments are arranged sequentially according to a medication schedule created according to a prescription, with the compartment storing the pills to be taken first as an outermost one, and that only the opening of the outermost compartment is permitted to be uncovered all the time, and wherein the outermost compartment is removed from the 10 unitary structure after the pills contained therein are taken. The invention also provides a medication management system and a mediation dispensing system based on the pillbox.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to the field of medicationmanagement system. More specifically, the present invention concerns apillbox for monitoring and improving medication compliance anddecreasing medication mismanagement by increasing the simplicity ofpatient self-administration, and to a medication management system and amedication dispensing system based on the pillbox of the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Physicians are trained to diagnose a disease and select an appropriatemedication based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties.However, even the most carefully chosen and optimal medication cannotwork if the patient does not take it appropriately. Medicationcompliance, an essential component of a successful health outcome, islargely in the domain of the patient. The responsibility for fulfillmentof the prescribed regimen lies with the patient.

As the population ages, and as people anticipate living longer sincethey live healthy and vigorous lives well, the people have becomeincreasingly reliant on medications. However, as more people take moremedicines, the opportunities for non-compliance, for over-taking orunder-taking medicines or for mixing drugs that result in negativeoutcomes and even serious consequences to the patient's health,increase. Until now, no monitor system provides the accurate medicinefrom the pharmaceutical factories to the patients. One of the reasons isthat the patients are always confused about what, where and when the setof pills to be administrated. It is quite difficult to monitor whetherthe patients take the correct pills on time.

In order to solve this problem, attempts have been made to providevarious forms of apparatuses and systems to assure that the patients aretaking their medications as prescribed. Generally, there are two methodsof using the labels and the sensors, for example, based on IR, magnettechnologies or the like to distinguish each slot of the pillscorresponding to the medication schedule. The method of using the labelsis very low cost, but the elderly is easy to make the mistakes andincrease the non-compliance. The second method of using the sensors isonly capable of monitoring whether the door of the pill slot is openedor not, and also is very expensive and has the drawbacks of portableinconvenience and high power consumption.

The specific apparatuses and systems increasing and/or monitoring themedication compliance may be known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,978,564B2, U.S.Pat. No. 8,193,918B1 and US2010/0314282A1, for example.

The U.S. Pat. No. 7,978,564B2 relates to an interactive medicationcontainer or console that holds or organizes one or more medicationvials or containers. Each vial has a memory strip containing mediationand prescription information, and also a reminder unit that is attachedto and portable with the individual vials. The console or reminder unitreads the information strip of the vial and communicates thisinformation to or interacts with the patients to remind them to take themedication. The system disclosed in the patent is very structurallycomplicated and expensive.

The U.S. Pat. No. 8,193,918B1 issued to Eran Shavelsky et al disclosesan interactive medication dispensing system comprising a body includinga bottom housing and a top bezel movably securing over the bottomhousing, a plurality of cups received in the respective orifices of thebottom housing to store the pills taken by the user at a singlecorresponding predetermined time, an on-board processor for thetreatment schedule, and a server for transmission of alerts. This systemintegrate the pills into one housing according to the treatmentschedule, and monitors the compliance by determining when an indicatedcup is accessed, based upon at least one of manipulating a lid and/orplacing into, removing from or replacing into the correct orifice basedupon the indication. Since all the cups are accessible, errors of takingthe wrong pills can be introduced. Also, the configuration of thissystem is complex.

The US patent application no. 2010/0314282A1 relates to a pill organizercomprising a plurality of units for containing pills and coupled to eachother via a connection means, for example a peg and a slot, or a railand a track. The rows and the columns of the pill organizer correspondto the days of the week and the time of the day, respectively. The unitscan attach and detach from one another, thereby creating acustom-tailored pill organizer. Again, this pill organizer may notassure the patients to take the right medication, since all the unitsare accessible.

Therefore, there is a need for a pillbox which allows the patients totake the right medication, at the right time, on the right day, at theright dose, no matter where the patients are. There is another need fora pillbox which enhances medication compliance and reduces adverse drugreactions in a cost-effective way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed to fulfill the needs notedabove and therefore has a principle object of the provision of apillbox, which offers a mechanism to take the right medication, at theright time, on the right day, because of the innovative structuraldesign incorporating the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)technology to identify and keep track of the medication records.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pillbox which helpsdecrease medication mismanagement by increasing the simplicity ofpatient self-administration, thereby enhancing the ease and convenienceof taking the medication and improving the compliance.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention are satisfied byproviding a pillbox comprising a plurality of pill receivingcompartments detachably connected with one another in side-by-siderelation to form a unitary structure, each of the compartments beingconstructed to store pills to be taken at a single predetermined timeand have an opening which is covered by a cover and through which thecompartment is accessible; wherein the unitary structure is configuredsuch that the plurality of compartments are arranged sequentiallyaccording to a medication schedule created according to a prescriptionfor a particular patient, with the compartment storing the pills to betaken first as an outermost one, and that only the opening of theoutermost compartment is permitted to be uncovered all the time, andwherein the outermost compartment is removed from the unitary structureafter the pills contained therein are taken.

The term “outermost compartment” herein refers to a compartment of theunitary structure (i.e. the pillbox) for storing the pills to be takenfirst by the patient, which is arranged at the outer end of the unitarystructure and can be assessable by opening its cover.

In one embodiment of the invention, the compartment is constructed tohave an opened top as the opening, a bottom, and side walls, andcomprise an actuator for opening the cover and mounted on the side wallwhere the compartment is connected to the preceding compartment; and thecover is pivotally and openably locked to the compartment.

Preferably, each of the compartments has at least one longitudinalguiding bulge or at least one longitudinal guiding slot on the side wallwhere the compartment is connected to the preceding compartment and onthe opposite wall thereof, respectively, and at least one longitudinalguiding slot or at least one longitudinal guiding bulge on the other twoside walls, respectively, so that the guiding bulge is verticallyinserted into and engages with the guiding slot to enable the connectionof the adjacent two compartments.

In another embodiment of the invention, the compartment is constructedto have a closed top, a bottom and side walls, with the opening formedin the side wall where the compartment is connected to the precedingcompartment; and the cover is provided as a hinged side door to coverthe opening.

In order to identify the compartment and keep track of the medicationrecords, each of the compartments is provided at its bottom with a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag for containing and updating dataassociated with the pillbox, and the pillbox further comprises amicrocontroller unit (MCU) with a RFID reader to process and read thedata contained in the RFID tag. The data associated with the pillbox mayinclude the ID number assigned to the respective compartment, personaldata of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medicationschedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when areminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information includingmanufacturers and availability of the pills. In one embodiment of theinvention, the MCU is configured to generate the reminder alertindicating the time when the patient is to take the pills, upon readingthe RFID tag of the removed compartment in which the pills have beentaken.

Preferably, the pillbox further comprises a LED indicator, an acousticoutput unit, a vibration motor, or any combination thereof, operablyconnected to the MCU for indicating the time for the taking of the pillsas a reminder alert indication sent to the patient.

For the sake of clarity, the plurality of the compartments each isassigned with a corresponding ID number for the purpose ofidentification of the compartments, and a liquid crystal displayoperably connected to the MCU is provided to indicate the time for thetaking of the pills by the patient and indicating the correspondingnumber of the compartment in which the pills are to be taken.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a medicationmanagement system, comprising:

a pillbox of the invention discussed above; and

a server which contains data associated with the pillbox and isaccessible via wired or wireless connection by interested parties (forexample the patients, the pharmacies, the doctors and the pharmaceuticalfactories).

A third aspect of the invention provides a medication dispensing system,comprising:

a pillbox of the invention discussed above; and

a dispensing machine for dispensing the pills into the plurality ofcompartments according to the medication schedule and verifying thesequence of the plurality of compartments to construct the pillbox.

The dispensing machine may comprise a microcontroller unit (MCU) with aRFID reader for reading and updating the data associated with thepillbox and identifying the plurality of compartments and pillcontainers from the pharmaceutical factories; a communication moduleconnected to the MCU to enable access to the dispensing machine; and adispensing mechanism connected to the MCU for verifying and dispensingthe pills from the pill containers into the plurality compartmentsthrough the RFID reader.

The medication dispensing system may also further comprise a serverwhich contains data associated with the pillbox and is accessible viawired or wireless connection by interested parties (for example thepatients, the pharmacies, the doctors and the pharmaceutical factories).

Unlike the prior art pillboxes or medication supporting apparatuses, thepillbox of the invention are characterized by providing the mechanism toensure that only the outermost compartment is accessible all the time,while the other compartments arranged in sequential order areinaccessible, because the cover of each compartment will be opened onlywhen its preceding compartment is detached from the pillbox. Every timethe patient has taken the pills in the outermost compartment, he shalldetach this empty compartment from the pillbox, such that the nextcompartment will become the outermost one. This would be repeated untilall the pills in the pillbox are taken by the patient. With such uniquedesign, the medication mismanagement when the patientself-administration is needed will be decreased.

The compartments for storing the pills can attach to and detach from oneanother, so a custom-tailored pillbox may be formed for the particularpatient according the medication schedule. The empty compartmentsdetached from the pillbox may be collected and recycled to construct anew pillbox by for example the pharmacies or the hospitals. In addition,the removal of the compartment indicates the achievement of themedication schedule.

The invention takes advantage of the RFID technology in the design ofthe pillbox. The pillbox is provided with a MCU with a RFID reader tostore the data including the patient name and health conditions, thedoctor's prescription, the doctor's remarks, the medication schedulegenerated according to the prescription, the manufacturers, sourcesand/or availability of the pills, the reminder alerts created accordingto the medication schedule, and the like. The RFID tab attached to thebottom of each compartment of the pillbox allows the compartment to beidentified after it is read by the RFID reader. The MCU enables to sendthe reminder alerts to the patient at the prescribed time.

The medication management system and the medication dispensing systemcomprising the pillbox of the invention provide a new platform fordispensing supply chain management of pills and allow the interestedparties including pharmaceutical factories, hospitals or clinics,pharmacies and patients to access, update and monitor the medicationcompliance and the pill availability via wired or wireless connection,for instance, by using smart phones and internet services.

The objects, characteristics, advantages and technical effects of theinvention will be further elaborated in the following description of theconcepts and structures of the invention with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pillbox comprising a plurality ofcompartments constructed according to a first embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the pillbox of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one compartment of the pillbox of FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an actuator for opening the cover of thecompartment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the ready-to-be-connected adjacent twocompartments of the pillbox of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a circuitry of a MCU with a RFID reader used in the pillbox ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a circuitry of a power supply unit of the pillbox of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a circuitry of an acoustic output unit of the pillbox of FIG.1.

FIG. 9 is a circuitry of a LED indicator and a vibration motor of thepillbox of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a circuitry of the RFID tag attached to each compartment ofthe pillbox of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 a is a simplified top view of a pill box a pillbox comprising aplurality of compartments constructed according to a second embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 11 b is a perspective view of the pillbox of FIG. 11 a.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of dispensing supply chain management systembased on the pillbox of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a medication dispensing machine accordingto the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is illustrated and described in preferredembodiments, the pillbox may be produced in many differentconfigurations, sizes, forms and materials.

The inventive concept of the invention is that the pillbox isconstructed by detachably assembling a plurality of compartments storingall the pills that are taken at a single determined time in sequentialorder according the prescribed medication schedule, while only theoutermost compartment can be accessed and the other compartments areaccessible only after the respective preceding compartments are removed.This ensures the right medication for the patient self-administration.This pillbox in combination with the RFID technology ensures to improveand trace the medication compliance.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 to 10 provide a pillbox 100constructed consistent with a preferred first embodiment of theinvention. In this embodiment, the pillbox comprises 2×4 compartments 10for the two days of administration regimen with four administrationseach day. These compartments 10 are detachably connected with oneanother in side-by-side relation to form a unitary structure andarranged in a sequential order according to the medication schedule.

As shown in FIG. 1, all the compartments 10 have a same structure ofsame dimension. In this embodiment, the compartments 10 are of cubicconfiguration. Each compartment 10 is sized to store the pills to betaken at a single predetermined time and for the convenience, assignedwith a corresponding number as shown in FIG. 1. The right fourcompartments in FIG. 1 store the pills to be taken in the first day, andthe outermost compartment is assigned with the number “4” in which thepills will be taken first by the patient. After the taking of the pills,the patient must detach the no. 4 compartment from the pillbox, so thatthe no. 3 compartment becomes the outermost one of the pillbox and canbe accessible. The left four compartments in FIG. 1 store the pills tobe taken in the second day, and the no. 4 compartment of the second daywould becomes the outermost one of the pillbox after the right fourcompartments have been removed. This way ensures the patient to take theright medication at the right time.

As clearly illustrated in FIG. 3, the compartment 10 has a bottom 11, afront side wall 12, two opposite left and right walls 13, and a rearside wall 14 to define a chamber for storing the pills. The compartment10 further has an opened top through which the pills are accessible. Onthe opposite side walls 13 are formed two spaced longitudinal guidingslots 15, respectively. The guiding slots 15 on each of the walls arepositionally corresponding to two spaced longitudinal guiding bulges 16formed on the front side wall 12 or the rear side wall 14, respectively.It is clear from FIG. 1 that the bulges 16 on the front side wall 12 ofthe no. 3 compartment slide into the slots 15 on the right side wall 13of the no. 4 compartment to enable the detachable engagement of the twocompartments; the bulges 16 on the front side wall 12 of the no. 2compartment slide into the slots 15 on the left side wall 13 of the no.3 compartment to enable the detachable engagement of the twocompartments; and the bulges 16 on the front side wall 12 of the no. 1compartment slide into the slots 15 on the left side wall 13 of the no.2 compartment to enable the detachable engagement of the twocompartments. In this way, the eight compartments 10 are connected fromone another to form the pillbox 100 as an unitary structure. Removal ofthe compartment from the pillbox 100 may be achieved by simply slidingthe bulges 16 out of the slots 15.

A cover 20 is pivotally connected to the top of the rear side wall 14 bya hinge 22 to snugly cover the opened top of the compartment. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the cover 20 has a L-shaped flange 21 situated atthe opposite side thereof to the hinge 22. A plate beam 17 having aprotrusion 18 is formed on the front side wall 12 of the compartment 10.The protrusion 18 engages the L-shaped flange 21 of the cover 20 whenthe cover is assembled with the compartment, and such an engagement isdesigned to prevent the cover from being opened. The free end of theplate beam 17 may be forcibly pulled outward so that the protrusion 18disengage from the L-shaped flange 21 to allow for the cover 10 to beopened. This locking cover arrangement provides an economical andeffective arrangement for securing the cover 10 over the opened top ofthe compartment, while permitting to open the cover 10 only when thecompartment in front of this compartment in question is removed.

The cover may be made from a transparent material for example PC(Polycarbonate) or ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadene-Styrene) plastics, sothat the pills stored in the compartment are visible. The plate beam 17may be formed with an elastic material for example Polypropylene (PP).The plate beam 17 may be formed with a same or different material of thebody of the compartment.

In order to manage and send automated reminder alerts to the patient,the pillbox 100 may further comprises a MCU 30 with a RFID reader, a LEDindicator 31, an acoustic output unit 32, a liquid crystal display (LCD)33 and a vibration motor 34, which are configured and arranged as shownin FIGS. 6 to 10, respectively. It would be understood that the LEDindicator 31, the LCD 33 and vibration motor are optional and may beremoved according to the actual needs and arrangements. The reminderalert can be indicated by continuous flash of the LED indicator 31,and/or vibration caused by the vibration motor 32, and/or beep soundsmade by the acoustic output unit 32. The reminder alert may also be inthe form of text message or voice message that is sent to the patient'smobile phone, indicating what pills shall be taken, when and any specialinstructions. In some cases, the text message or voice message may besent by connecting the MCU of the pillbox to other peripherals, forexample USB cable, via RF technologies. Of course, preferably the alertis sent to the patient at least a couple of minutes before the pills areto be taken. It would be understood that the LED indicator 31, the LCD33 and vibration motor are optional and may be removed according to theactual needs and arrangements.

One of the novel features of the invention is that a RFID tag 35 isattached to the bottom of each compartment 10 (see FIG. 2). The RFID tag35 contains and updates the data associated with the pillbox includingthe ID number of the respective compartment. The data associated withthe pillbox also includes personal data of the patient, the prescriptionfor the patient, and the medication schedule generated according to theprescription, any special instructions specific to the patient, such aswhether to take the medication before or after a meal, and/or whetherthe medication should be taken certain foods or liquids, etc. The RFIDtag 35 may also contain the information on the manufacturers andavailability of the pills. It would be appreciated that the RFID readerof the MCU 30 can store the data associated with the pillbox too.

In some cases, the RFID tag 35 may store the number of the respectivecompartment only and all the data associated with the pillbox is storedin the RFID reader of the MCU 30. After the number of the respectivecompartment is read by the RFID reader, all the data associated with thepillbox is accessible and displayed.

The following Table 1 is an example of the prescription including thetypes of the pills and administration regimen.

TABLE 1 Patient Name Chan Tai Man I.D. A123456B Input Record < 1 2 3 4 >Last New Digital < 1 2 3 4 > Last Prescription Time slot (Day) TotalTotal No. Pill Type Pill ID Schedule Period Times Day PCS Remarks 1 ABC387A Hourly 4 4 2 8 None 2 DEF 3451 Hourly 4 4 2 8 In the morning 3 GHI1243 Hourly 3 4 2 8 To be chewed 4 JKL 4385 Daily 1 1 2 2 For fever 5MNO 71A9 Alternative For bowel collie Day Dizziness 6 PQR 248C WeeklyBefore/After food . . For vomiting . . At bed time . . To be sucked NXYZ 3847 Monthly When required Input Auto Input Input Input Input AutoFor diamhoea Gen. Gen. Total No. of 14 compartments: Total No. of Pill 4Type: Total No. of 26 Pills: Total No. of 2 Day: Doctor Name Pre-setSignature Organization Pre-set Date Auto-Gen.

The following Table 2 is an example of the medication schedule includingthe administration time of each pill.

TABLE 2 Chan Tai Patient Name Man I.D. A123456B Compartment ScheduledMedicine Actual ID Pill Name or ID After Finished Time Medicine SequenceNo. ABC DEF GHI JKL Hour Yes/No Scheduled Shifted Time The First Day (20Jun. 2012) 1 4 1 2 1 1 Starting Yes 10:20 N/A 10:20 time 2 3 1 2 1 0 4Yes 14:20 14:20 14:50 3 2 1 2 1 0 4 Yes 18:20  18:50* 19:05 4 1 1 2 1 04 Yes 22:20 23:05 23:05 The Second Day (21 Jun. 2012) 1 4 1 2 1 1Starting No  9:00 N/A 10:00 time 2 3 1 2 1 0 4 No 13:00 14:00 14:00 3 21 2 1 0 4 No 17:00 18:00 17:10 4 1 1 2 1 0 4 No 21:00  21:10* 21:10 *TheMCU is able to accumulate the time per pill if the actual administrationtime of the pills is delayed or ahead of the scheduled time.

In this embodiment, the MCU 30 is configured to generate the nextreminder alert indicating a time when the patient is to take the pills,every time the patient places the empty compartment which has beenremoved after the taking of the pills to the RFID reader for reading.The MCU 30 would send the next reminder alert to the patient at thepredetermined time as determined by the medication schedule and the LCD34 will display the ID number of the compartment to be opened in orderto further assure the right medication. This also enables to keep trackof the medication compliance for the particular patient.

It should be noted that the patient may check and verify the data aboutthe outermost compartment through reading the RFID tag 35 of thecompartment by the RFID reader of the MCU 30, before the pills stored inthe outermost compartment are taken. To perform this, the patient mayremove the outermost compartment from the unitary structure and placeits RFID tag on the RFID reader, and re-attach the compartment to theunitary structure after the reading is done.

FIG. 6 is a circuitry of MCU 30 of the pillbox of the invention. The MCU30 comprises a microcontroller integrated circuit W55MID50 which is aflash 10 bits electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), and associated peripheral circuits. The MCU 30 has respectivepins connected to the LED indicator 31, the acoustic output unit 32, theliquid crystal display (LCD) 33 and the vibration motor 34 to enablethem to indicate the reminder alert at the predetermined time. The LCD33 may display the ID number of the to-be-handled compartment (see FIG.1). The MCU 30 also has a RFID reader with the antenna for reading theRFID tag 35 of the compartment and then generates the reminder alert andupdates the data of the medication records.

FIG. 7 is a circuitry of a power supply unit of the pillbox 100 whichare arranged at the bottom of the pillbox. The power supply unit iselectrically coupled to the batteries 36 which are arranged at thebottom of the pillbox shown in FIG. 2 for powering the components,especially the integrated circuits.

FIG. 8 is a circuitry of the acoustic output unit 32 of the pillbox 100,which can be powered on by the batteries directly. The acoustic output32 comprises a beeper or a speaker connected to the MCU 30 to make beepsounds, indicative of the time for the taking of the pills. The acousticalert may be presented as music, voice or speech.

FIG. 9 is a circuitry of the LED indicator 31 and the vibration motor 34of the pillbox 100, which may be powered on by the batteries directly.The LED indicator 31 has an input terminal connected to the pin 2 of theMCU 30 (which is a LED signal output terminal) for indicating the timefor the taking of the pills. The vibration motor has an input terminalconnected to the pin 3 of the MCU 30 to cause the vibration of thepillbox to alert the patient.

FIG. 10 is a circuitry of the RFID tag 35 attached to each compartmentof the pillbox 100. The circuitry of the RFID tag 35 comprises anintegrated circuit W55MID35 and associated peripheral circuits. Theinformation necessary for the pillbox may be stored in the RFID tag andcan be read by the RFID reader of the MCU 30.

A pillbox 200 constructed consistent with a preferred first embodimentof the invention is illustrated in FIG. 11. The pillbox 200 of thisembodiment is structurally same as the one shown in the first embodimentabove, except the following:

-   -   the compartment 10 is constructed to have a closed top, a bottom        and four side walls to define a chamber for storing the pills,        wherein an opening through which the pills are accessible is        formed on the side wall where the compartment is connected to        the preceding compartment; and    -   a cover of the compartment is provided as a hinged side door 40        to cover the opening formed on the side wall of the compartment.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the side door 40 of the compartment ispermitted to be opened only when the outermost compartment has beendetached from the pillbox 200. This locking cover arrangement providesanother economical and effective arrangement for covering the opening ofthe compartment while permitting to open the side door 40 only when thecompartment in front of the side door 40 is removed.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of dispensing supply chain management systembased on the pillbox of the invention. The dispensing supply chainmanagement system enables all interested parties includingpharmaceutical factories, hospitals or clinics, pharmacies and patientsvia wired or wireless connection, for instance, using smart phone andinternet to know the status of the pillbox of the invention. Inparticular, the invention provides a medication management systemintended for the dispensing supply chain management shown in FIG. 12,comprising the pillbox of the invention and a server which is accessibleby the interested parties using the smart phone or internet. The servercontains all the data necessary for the purpose of the dispensing supplychain management.

Generally, it is assumed that a particular patient has been dispensedone or more pills and has been issued proper instructions on when andhow to take the pills, thus a medication schedule is established.Namely, the doctors in the hospital or clinics provide one or moreprescriptions for the patient and the medication schedule would beestablished according to the one or more prescriptions. Theseprescriptions and the medication schedule will be sent to the server andto the pharmacies. The pharmacies receives the medication schedule andtransmits it to the dispensing machine via a wired or wireless system inorder to dispense the prescribed pills into the plurality ofcompartments 10. During the dispensing, the compartments 10 will be readand verified one-by-one by reading the RFID tags 35 attached to therespective compartments, which ensures the pills are dispensed to thecorresponding compartments correctly. After the dispensing process iscompleted, the plurality of compartments 10 would be assembled togetherto construct a pillbox of the invention.

The patients receive the pillbox and the relevant instructions from thedoctors or the pharmacies. On the other hand, the patients are allowedto access to the system via smart phones or internet to get their owninformation related to the prescriptions and the medication schedule.

It is shown in FIG. 12 that the pharmaceutical factories would be ableto access the dispensing supply chain management system. This provides aplatform for the pharmaceutical factories to update the availability ofthe pills and the pill stocks. The pill containers provided by thepharmaceutical factories may be affixed with a RFID tag 54 to provide ameans to trace the pills by the hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. Thedispensing supply chain management system may generate various reportsshowing how many patients are prescribed a drug ABC in a given period ofthe time, and how many patients actually take the drug ABC in thatperiod of time, and how many patients obtain their drugs from thepharmacies X and how many patients obtain their drugs from pharmacies Y.This system also enables to keep track of the medication compliance ofthe patients.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a medication dispensing machine 300 usedin the pharmacies according to the invention. The dispensing machine 300comprises a MCU with a RFID reader for reading and updating themedication schedule and verifying the compartments of the particularpatient and the pill containers of the pharmaceutical factories. Thedispensing machine 300 also comprises a wireless communication moduleconnected to the MCU, enabling the pharmacies to access the dispensingmachine. Proper configuration of the MCU permits the dual-passcommunication between the RFID reader of the pillbox and the RFID readerof the dispensing machine 300. The operation of the medicationdispensing machine 300 will be described below.

Upon the receipt of the medication schedule, the pharmacies collect thecompartments which are registered through the RFID reader. Then, thecompartments and the pill containers 52, 53 storing different types ofpills are checked and verified through their RFID tags. The verifiedcompartments 10 and pill containers 52, 53 will be placed in sequentialorder in the dispensing machine 300 which is actuated to dispense theprescribed pills into the respective compartments 10 one by one inaccordance with the medication schedule. One or more pill receptacles 51are provided to receive the pills that are redundant for constructingthe pillbox.

After the compartments have been filled with the pills, they would beassembled together in sequential order according to the medicationschedule to form the pillbox. Next, the medication schedule would bedownloaded to the MCU of the pillbox, which is then ready to bedelivered to the patient.

As discussed above, the present invention provides a pillbox thatenhances the ease and convenience of taking the right medication at theright time, on the right day. The pillbox of the invention providesmultiple reminder alerts to the patient to assure administration of theproper medication at the prescribed time. According to the invention,the design of the pillbox helps decrease the medication mismanagement byincreasing the simplicity of patient self-administration, improves theaccuracy of dispensing the pills into the pillbox, and keeps track ofall medication records.

Having sufficiently described the nature of the present inventionaccording to some preferred embodiments, the invention, however, shouldnot be limited to the structures and functions of the embodiments anddrawings. It is stated that insofar as its basic principle is notaltered, changed or modified it may be subjected to variations ofdetail. Numerous variations and modifications that are easily obtainableby means of the skilled person's common knowledge without departing fromthe scope of the invention should fall into the scope of this invention.

1. A pillbox comprising a plurality of pill receiving compartments detachably connected with one another in side-by-side relation to form a unitary structure, each of the compartments being constructed to store pills to be taken at a single predetermined time and have an opening which is covered by a cover and through which the compartment is accessible; wherein the unitary structure is configured such that the plurality of compartments are arranged sequentially according to a medication schedule created according to a prescription for a particular patient, with the compartment storing the pills to be taken first as an outermost one, and that only the opening of the outermost compartment is permitted to be uncovered all the time, and wherein the outermost compartment is removed from the unitary structure after the pills contained therein are taken.
 2. The pillbox according to claim 1, wherein the compartment is constructed to have an opened top as the opening, a bottom, and side walls, and comprise an actuator for opening the cover and mounted on the side wall where the compartment is connected to the preceding compartment; and the cover is pivotally and openably locked to the compartment.
 3. The pillbox according to claim 1, wherein each of the compartments has at least one longitudinal guiding bulge or at least one longitudinal guiding slot on the side wall where the compartment is connected to the preceding compartment and on the opposite wall thereof, respectively, and at least one longitudinal guiding slot or at least one longitudinal guiding bulge on the other two side walls, respectively, so that the guiding bulge is vertically inserted into and engages with the guiding slot to enable the connection of the adjacent two compartments.
 4. The pillbox according to claim 1, wherein the compartment is constructed to have a closed top, a bottom and side walls, with the opening formed in the side wall where the compartment is connected to the preceding compartment; and the cover is provided as a hinged side door to cover the opening.
 5. The pillbox according to claim 1, wherein each of the compartments is provided at its bottom with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for containing and updating data associated with the pillbox, and the pillbox further comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU) with a RFID reader to process and read the data contained in the RFID tag.
 6. The pillbox according to claim 5, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes an ID number assigned to the respective compartment, personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills.
 7. The pillbox according to claim 6, wherein the MCU is configured to generate the reminder alert indicating the time when the patient is to take the pills, upon reading the RFID tag of the compartment in which the pills have been taken.
 8. The pillbox according to claim 7, further comprising a LED indicator operably connected to the MCU for indicating the time for the taking of the pills by the patient.
 9. The pillbox according to claim 7, further comprising an acoustic output unit, particularly a beeper, operably connected to the MCU for indicating the time for the taking of the pills by the patient.
 10. The pillbox according to claim 7, further comprising a vibration motor operably connected to the MCU for indicating the time for the taking of the pills by the patient.
 11. The pillbox according to claim 6, further comprising a liquid crystal display operably connected to the MCU for indicating the time for the taking of the pills by the patient and indicating the compartment in which the pills are to be taken.
 12. The pillbox according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the compartments each is assigned with a corresponding ID number for the purpose of identification of the compartments.
 13. A medication management system, comprising: a pillbox according to claim 1; and a server which contains data associated with the pillbox and is accessible via wired or wireless connection.
 14. The medication management system according to claim 13, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills.
 15. A medication dispensing system, comprising: a pillbox according to claim 1; and a dispensing machine for dispensing the pills into the plurality of compartments according to the medication schedule and verifying the sequence of the plurality of compartments to construct the pillbox.
 16. The medication dispensing system according to claim 15, wherein the dispensing machine comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU) with a RFID reader for reading and updating the data associated with the pillbox and identifying the plurality of compartments and pill containers; a communication module connected to the MCU to enable access to the dispensing machine; and a dispensing mechanism connected to the MCU for verifying and dispensing the pills from the pill containers into the plurality compartments.
 17. The medication dispensing system according to claim 16, further comprising a server which is accessible via wired or wireless connection and contains data associated with the pillbox.
 18. The medication dispensing system according to claim 17, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills.
 19. The pillbox according to claim 2, wherein each of the compartments has at least one longitudinal guiding bulge or at least one longitudinal guiding slot on the side wall where the compartment is connected to the preceding compartment and on the opposite wall thereof, respectively, and at least one longitudinal guiding slot or at least one longitudinal guiding bulge on the other two side walls, respectively, so that the guiding bulge is vertically inserted into and engages with the guiding slot to enable the connection of the adjacent two compartments.
 20. The pillbox according to claim 7, further comprising a liquid crystal display operably connected to the MCU for indicating the time for the taking of the pills by the patient and indicating the compartment in which the pills are to be taken.
 21. A medication management system, comprising: a pillbox according to claim 6; and a server which contains data associated with the pillbox and is accessible via wired or wireless connection.
 22. The medication management system according to claim 21, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills.
 23. A medication management system, comprising: a pillbox according to claim 12; and a server which contains data associated with the pillbox and is accessible via wired or wireless connection.
 24. The medication management system according to claim 23, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills.
 25. A medication dispensing system, comprising: a pillbox according to claim 6; and a dispensing machine for dispensing the pills into the plurality of compartments according to the medication schedule and verifying the sequence of the plurality of compartments to construct the pillbox.
 26. The medication dispensing system according to claim 25, wherein the dispensing machine comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU) with a RFID reader for reading and updating the data associated with the pillbox and identifying the plurality of compartments and pill containers; a communication module connected to the MCU to enable access to the dispensing machine; and a dispensing mechanism connected to the MCU for verifying and dispensing the pills from the pill containers into the plurality compartments.
 27. The medication dispensing system according to claim 26, further comprising a server which is accessible via wired or wireless connection and contains data associated with the pillbox.
 28. The medication dispensing system according to claim 27, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills.
 29. A medication dispensing system, comprising: a pillbox according to claim 12; and a dispensing machine for dispensing the pills into the plurality of compartments according to the medication schedule and verifying the sequence of the plurality of compartments to construct the pillbox.
 30. The medication dispensing system according to claim 29, wherein the dispensing machine comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU) with a RFID reader for reading and updating the data associated with the pillbox and identifying the plurality of compartments and pill containers; a communication module connected to the MCU to enable access to the dispensing machine; and a dispensing mechanism connected to the MCU for verifying and dispensing the pills from the pill containers into the plurality compartments.
 31. The medication dispensing system according to claim 30, further comprising a server which is accessible via wired or wireless connection and contains data associated with the pillbox.
 32. The medication dispensing system according to claim 31, wherein the data associated with the pillbox includes personal data of the patient, the prescription for the patient, the medication schedule, a time when the patient is to take the pills, a time when a reminder alert is sent to the patient, and pill information including manufacturers and availability of the pills. 